A Business Built by Black Belts: One Couple’s Entrepreneurial Karate Journey

Tara and Colin Van Deusen opened a California karate studio together after falling head over heels for martial arts — and for each other.

A Business Built by Black Belts: One Couple’s Entrepreneurial Karate Journey

Doing good

How This Entrepreneur Stretched Her Mobile Yoga Startup Across Los Angeles

McKenna Rowe stretched her startup from a one-woman venture into a thriving mobile yoga business that serves dozens of corporate clients across Los Angeles.

How This Entrepreneur Stretched Her Mobile Yoga Startup Across Los Angeles

America at work

Her Startup’s Goal: Breaking Down the Biggest Barrier to Playing Lacrosse

Welcome to Becoming the Boss, our series celebrating small business owners who have made the transition from solo-entrepreneur to employer. Check back periodically for new installments. Lacrosse has been surging in popularity over the past decade, joining gymnastics as the only two team sports to see participation grow among children age 6 to 17 since 2015. However, there is an important obstacle standing in the way of the continued growth of the sport: High-quality lacrosse gear is so expensive that many families would struggle to afford it. Where others might have seen a hurdle, 15-year-old lacrosse player and former “Shark Tank” contestant Rachel Zietz saw an opportunity to make the game more accessible. “I’ve learned from many leaders that when you see a problem, you can translate it into an opportunity,” Zieitz said in a recent interview, sounding every bit the seasoned entrepreneur. Gladiator Lacrosse, the sports equipment business Zietz […]

Her Startup’s Goal: Breaking Down the Biggest Barrier to Playing Lacrosse

America at work

Three Entrepreneurs. Two Countries. One Life-Changing Collision Over Coffee

Welcome to Becoming the Boss, our series celebrating small business owners who have made the transition from solo-entrepreneur to employer. Check back periodically for new installments. Tucked between the mountains of central Pennsylvania is the town of State College, home of Penn State University. Nicknamed “Happy Valley,” much of the town’s activity revolves around student life and university events, such as Nittany Lion football games, homecoming, and graduation. Loaded with term papers, research projects and exams, quality coffee is a necessity for the 46,000 undergraduates that call Happy Valley home. Several local and regional shops compete to keep students caffeinated, but none are more unique than Barranquero Café, which has been making a splash with students since it opened in April. Barranquero Café is the brainchild of State College native Susan Jermusyk and her uncle, Gerry Kistler, the latter of whom was inspired to open his own coffee shop after […]

Three Entrepreneurs. Two Countries. One Life-Changing Collision Over Coffee

Creating opportunity

Beyoncé & Bill Gates: A Match Made in Pop Music Heaven?

Pop singers and rappers love to brag about their footwear (from their Ugg boots to their Louboutins), million-dollar homes and expensive bling. These days tech entrepreneurs are surprisingly becoming the go-to people to name-drop in songs, with Bill Gates being the mogul of choice to reference. Here are some of the best pop songs to reference Silicon Valley and its high-powered entrepreneurs. Entrepreneur: Bill Gates, Microsoft Song: “Formation” by Beyoncé I might get your song played on the radio station, cause I slay You just might be a black Bill Gates in the making, cause I slay I just might be a black Bill Gates in the making When Beyoncé dropped her newest single, “Formation,” right before the 2016 Super Bowl, her die-hard fan base – known as the Beyhive – was ecstatic. And one of the crowd’s favorite lines was when Queen Bey compared herself to Microsoft co-founder Bill […]

Beyoncé & Bill Gates: A Match Made in Pop Music Heaven?

Doing good

In Detroit, a Green Garage is a Metaphor for Urban Reinvention

Detroit is a tale of two cities. The question is which narrative about Detroit do you believe? Green Garage proves that the smart money is on both.